Most kids my age who grew up in the 1980s were in love with so many shows. There is the flash of the live show Captain Power, a story that didn’t hold too much depth but made up for it in action. This was also when new fans got introduced to a new iteration of Star Trek, in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Then there was the understated genius in the genre busting fantasy series Quantum Leap.

The stories within these shows more than entertained the masses, it made them care about what happened to these characters. The character that Scott Bakula played every week on Quantum Leap brought a sincerity and fortitude, that we now see in fragments on television now. The poignant piece to the show, was not that he traveled and save people’s lives, it’s he traveled not knowing if he will ever get home. In the eighth issue of The Accelerators, our heroes travel not knowing their fate and like Bakula they still move forward.

We catch up with our protagonists on the run from the creatures they found into he mall, only to run a powerful army who has control of time and space. They soon get caught up in a crossfire, where they must time travel forward once again, but not all is well, as Spatz is hurt and is only getting worse, as they time travel. They soon hurdle to one future consumed by fire and another consumed by robots, as each future gets grimmer, the further they travel. By issue’s end, it looks as if they traveled to the past based on their surroundings, but instead they find a modern dystopia.

Overall, another enthralling issue in this ongoing saga that leaves no doubt what heroics looks like. The story by RFI Porto is sprinkled with intelligent dialogue, well done character development, and intense action scenes. The art by Gavin P. Smith is stunning. Altogether, a book that not only rebooted the time travel genre, it has made it better.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P. Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

I still remember the first time I watched the 1960 adaptation of The Time Machine, starring Rod Taylor as H. George Wells. This was the first ever time I saw any movie talking about time travel as a construct and to build a machine that would prove that theory, was even more mind boggling. Looking back at that movie now, it was rudimentary in its set design and special effects but the acting and the rest of the elements were executed to perfection. Considering the sheer number of books, tv shows and movies that came after, all talking about time travel, and even expanding the theory, by providing rules and even delving into real science, quantum dynamics.  Still, all these tales owe much to the imagination of H.G. Wells, because without him, most of the world would have not thought of the possibilities.

Even the gone too soon show on SyFy, Warehouse 13, paid homage to their aura, playing with the viewer’s perception of exactly who we think HG really was. Of course, right now, one of the more relevant, exciting and genre changing shows on television right now, which just so happens to deal with time travel, is Timeless, showing audiences, that rarely are things go the way you expect, but goes the way you least expect it, like the rest of life. That is why when writers put new spins on the genre, those same possibilities expand even more. In the seventh issue of The Accelerators, we find our heroes reunited but listless, as they try to find a way home.

We find Spatz dreaming he was back in school only to find himself with the rest of gladiators from the games, as they acquainted with their new surroundings. As they wander in the future of the same place they first transported to, they soon find themselves in the ruins of what used be a mall, one filled with dangers unexpected. Soon they find a warning, one that at first seems difficult to decipher, until they see what happened, as those “scavengers” have become mutations. By issue’s end, Spatz has transported 88 years into the future, one where military industrial complex has taken over the world.

Overall, a fascinating introduction to a whole new adventure for our protagonists, one which looks to upend the canon. The story by RFI Porto is funny, clever, and exhilarating. The art by Gavin P Smith is stunning. Altogether, a grand reintroduction to this world which will make readers new and old see why this story is compelling.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

As a cinephile, I always root for the protagonist to come out on top. Sometimes, those same protagonists are not as black ad white as some movies tend to show, sometimes these characters operate in the gray area. One of the best examples I can think of is the Shawshank Redemption, a movie which has many running themes. This movie is also about friendship between two men who are prisoners, which is an oversimplification.

The core of the story is that it is about men who finally understand that redemption is achieved through common acts of decency. As a cinephile, the scene that probably was the most memorable was when Andy Dufresne finds a way out, and he had been digging his way out for years. Out of the all-time escape scenes in movies, this ranks up there with the best. In the sixth installment of The Accelerators, we find our heroes reunited and looking for a way out.

In the first few panels, the reader gets a peek behind just how each gladiator gets transported to the arena, as the newest addition just so happens to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Major uses this unique competitor to make his escape along with fellow gladiators, leaving some of the spectators as chum for the dinosaur.  Lexi and Major become reunited and Spat outsmarts Bob and becomes free of the Hub. By issue’s end, our heroes have escaped this world but to where, only time will tell.

Overall, a pulse pounding issue that is wall to wall action. The story by PRFI Porto is fun, fast paced and gives the readers more thane enough Easter eggs to know what is coming. The art by Gavin P Smith is striking and vivid. Altogether, an issue that gives wish fulfillment to anyone who has been giving this book love thus far.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

There is nothing like a proper origin story, one that gets you to understand who the characters are before you know them. In comic books, oftentimes, readers get to know wo the character is before they become superheroes in the firs tissue. Though this method can be preferred amongst readers, this doesn’t quite capture the essence of the character. As you watch this seemingly normal person become someone quite extraordinary, it satisfies most fans, but not all.

The point of view narrative that some fans including myself like is the point of view narrative after you get into the story arc. As the reader gets invested into the story primarily and the characters secondary. This way the story stands on its own, which is why Black Panther’s “Dark Reign” and Justice League’s “Kingdom Come”, resonates with comic book fans, as both stories were that good that fans still talk about them to this day. In the fourth issue of The Accelerators, we get to know a whole lot more about Bertram and the time travel experiment.

We catch up with Bertram as he fights the Improved Samurai, a sophisticated fighting robot, which can anticipate their opponent’s next moves.  We also get to find out how Bertram and Lex, first got into the time travel experiment and how it was initially a mission for good purposes. We also catch up with Spatz as he gets a behind the scenes look on how the gladiator competition and why Bob wants him there. By book’s end, someone readers thought long dead is brought back, and nothing is what it seems.

Overall, an excellent installment that continues to push the boundaries of the time travel narrative. The story by RFI Porto is complex and engaging. The art by Gavin P Smith is captivating and vivid. Altogether, a great story that only gets better with this issue.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 8.8 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

As everyone who has enjoyed movies, one cannot underestimate the underrated if not hypnotic genius of Jeff Goldblum. Everything he acts in has made fans of him within minutes of seeing him on screen. The first time I saw him, was in The Fly, a movie that I thought was going to be scary, which certain parts are, but also is utterly captivating. Then his undervalued performance in Jurassic Park, brought moments of levity to an otherwise tense film.

One of my favorite movies starring him, was the hard boiled, Deep Cover where he played against type as a crooked lawyer who Lawrence Fishburne takes down. His most recent performance which bears re-watches is in Thor: Ragnarok , as the Grandmaster, a role which seems as though he was born to play it, one where sarcasm and deadpan delivery is key to pulling off the character.  As the character plays a major part in that world and uses his collective resources to make himself somewhat of a ruler. In the third issue of The Accelerators, we meet a character similar to the Grandmaster, but one that seems more insidious.

We catch up with Spatz, as he was just about to be shot by the Captain but is miraculously transported out of the arena and to a safe space, to fight again. This is where the reader and Spatz, meets Bob, a woman who runs the arena, and has quite an influence on who lives and dies in this world. Both Spatzand the Captain, both try to figure a way out, as their lives remain uncertain. By book’s end, Spatz finds out a secret about himself, one that will shock the reader as much as it shocked Spatz.

Overall, an engaging third issue, in a comic book that already has shifted the paradigm in how to tell a story about time travel. The story by RFI Porto is unconventional, smart and kinetic. The art by Gavin P. Smith is vivid and lush. Altogether, an enjoyable issue that will have readers reeling to see what happens next.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P. Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

One of the best television shows of the last 10 years was Spartacus. The most people ever knew about the subject of the series was what the film version as played by Kirk Douglas showed the world. In truth, very little is known about the man known as Spartacus, and as the show tells fans right away, that is not even his name. The show bought up many relevant issues, one of them being slavery.

As all the gladiators that fought, did not for the glory, but because they were slaves, and had no agency, they fought, as they were told for the honor of their house. They also fought to gain favor with their master, as their lives in bondage became a way of life, and ease was the only hope they wish to attain. A world where life gives you no choices, becomes suppression at its most prime. In the second issue of the The Accelerators, our protagonists find out how a life in bondage can be.

Spatz and Betram time travel to a world where Gladiator games have come back into fashion and they are newest warriors to enter the arena. As soon as the guys find what they have become, they instantly start to figure out a way to retrieve their time travel devices and escape this place. Before Bertram and Spatz could put a plan into action, they all must enter the arena to fight. By issue’s end, our heroes survive them all, but one of thme may have met their fate.

Overall, a nice exposition issue, which gives the reader more background into an already fast paced story which does not let up. The story by RFI Porto only gets better, as this tory goes places you don’t expect it to. The art by Gavin P Smith is engaging and vibrant. Altogether, a second issue that fulfills the promise of this very entertaining story.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Time travel is one of those topics within the genre that usually gets people fascinated. The idea that you can go back in time and change things that may go better in your fortune, is wish fulfillment t its best. The whole Back To The Future franchise is immortalized in the minds of move fans for this exact reason. Who would not want to be Marty McFly and change your father past, which betters your present lifestyle.

Of course, the ills of time travel, have also been stressed in those movies but also in others like Timeline and the Butterfly Effect movies. Rarely, has this genre ever moved into something resembling horror, as the evils that men would with such abilities, have rarely been explored. The closest movie fans have gotten to such concepts, is the Groundhog Day like movie, Happy Death day, where the protagonist relives the day she died multiple gruesome times. In RFI Porto and Gavin P. Smith’s engaging The Accelerators, it puts a terrifying and different twist on the time travel genre.

The book opens up a coliseum, filled with gladiators, but no the typical ones you see in period films, instead we have Barbarians fighting soldiers, Mayan warriors fighting scientists, like a gory Celebrity Death Match, that unfolds. We then meet a scientist named Alexa, who is running from the military and can move forward in time, through a technology resembling the rings in Tron. Eventually, this chase pulls in someone who has no idea what is going on, where we meet the character of Bertram, who serves as the reader, as we find out as he does exactly what is going on. By issue’s end, one of the characters may have met their fate which can also mean a very unstable future.

Overall, a unique and scary version of how time travel can affect lives in the worst ways. The story by RFI Porto is exhilarating and puts a new spin on the genre. The art by Gavin P. Smith is gorgeous. Overall, a great book which put the genre on its head and leads it in a great new direction.

Story: RFI Porto Art: Gavin P. Smith
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation:Buy